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Riding with Kids

K

kepople

New member
We are going to look at Spyders tomorrow. I have been bitten by the bug. ;)

We have a 12 year old and a 6 year old. I am curious how much riding you all get to do if you own small children as well?
I have a feeling we wont get to use it much as a couple, but maybe cruising with the kids.

Since we cant afford 2, I would think that its going to be mostly local trips to coffee shops and such. Does anyone here make the effort to take trips with kids?

Maybe we are better off waiting until the kids are older.

thanks
 
kepople said:
We are going to look at Spyders tomorrow. I have been bitten by the bug. ;)

We have a 12 year old and a 6 year old. I am curious how much riding you all get to do if you own small children as well?
I have a feeling we wont get to use it much as a couple, but maybe cruising with the kids.

Since we cant afford 2, I would think that its going to be mostly local trips to coffee shops and such. Does anyone here make the effort to take trips with kids?

Maybe we are better off waiting until the kids are older.

thanks
Click to expand...

Never do later what you can enjoy NOW!!!!
 
Some states have laws regarding minimum ages of children as passengers on motorcycles. Check your local and states laws first.

By the way, :welcome:and :congrats:
 
Mine WAS (emphasis added) not an issue with kids, but instead grandkids. I used to take them all over the place. After my accident of a little over a year ago, I had to rethink my desire to have them on my spyder. That accident was absolutely no fault of my own, nor was there anything I could have done to prevent it, short of not riding my spyder at that time and place.

I don't know that I could face my kids were any of my grandkids to suffer serious bodily injury or death. Consequently, I will not have them ride with me.

Chris
 
My youngest was 12 last year when I bought my RS. The BRP backrest was a must have for me and things have been great. He loves going out for a ride and did quite a few miles with me last year. Also, consider bluetooth headsets just to communicate if they start to get scared....:thumbup:
 
MouthPiece said:
Mine WAS (emphasis added) not an issue with kids, but instead grandkids. I used to take them all over the place. After my accident of a little over a year ago, I had to rethink my desire to have them on my spyder. That accident was absolutely no fault of my own, nor was there anything I could have done to prevent it, short of not riding my spyder at that time and place.

I don't know that I could face my kids were any of my grandkids to suffer serious bodily injury or death. Consequently, I will not have them ride with me.

Chris
Click to expand...
I haven't had an accident but I won't risk my grandchildren on the back of my Spyder for the same reasons you have given.
 
My son is only four and cannot ride with me yet. My daughter is 10 and she is my co pilot much of the time. I have the backrest which is a must when carrying passengers on an RS. The RT is much better suited for it though. And they do make arm rests for them.

Just sayin'.............
 
Anyone riding as a passenger should be able to reach the handrails and foot rests so they can be firmly planted on the machine.

Most accidents cause an ejection of the driver, passenger, or both. Not sure that I would want that responsibility hanging over me.
 
Also consider the mental maturity of the kid(s). Do they understand the safety aspects on a bike/spyder. Can they follow instructions about holding on, leaning, and is their attention span good enough for riding. Do they understand about staying awake and not nodding off.

Of course, no kid is 100% safe on the back of a moto, so make sure they are COMPLETELY geared up with helmet, riding jackets, pants, boots, and gloves. You may choose to wear less yourself, but make sure they are ATGATT.

As for a Spyder, and RT with it's wraparound passenger seat might be more suited than and RS/RSS/ST.
 
I don't like to be a wet blanket, but there are certain things that should keep you from riding small children on a motorcycle. The rider should be able to reach the footrests and handgrips, be able to floow directions without fail, and be situationally aware enough to respond in a pending emergency situation. Think of how you would feel if one of them got hurt. A few moments of fun is not worth the risk of a lifetime of sorrow. Keep the rides for the youngsters to the end of the driveway. JMHO
 
DrewNJ said:
My youngest was 12 last year when I bought my RS. The BRP backrest was a must have for me and things have been great. He loves going out for a ride and did quite a few miles with me last year. Also, consider bluetooth headsets just to communicate if they start to get scared....:thumbup:
Click to expand...

Ditto. Except my daughter was 8 when I got the spyder. The backrest and communtcation is a must.

Your 12 year old, no problem. 6.... I'd wait a few years.
 
Our 10 year old daughter and 13 year old son get some short rides around our small town. They are just old enough to handle an hour or two while we ride. Add some babysitter pay to your current cost of ownership and take some long rides while it is nice. It will be a worthy investment.:)

Sent from Galaxy S3 via Tapatalk
 
Tough choice..!!

but yours to make..I would agree with the short rides close to home till they are older. Sitters or family will give you time to ryde.. Welcome and congrats, enjoy the rydes you get...!! :thumbup:
 
I have three kids and once I purchased my RS I would not allow any of them to ride until I put on a back rest. Now the 15 year old goes every where with me and the 10 year old rides only on short rides and my 7 year is only allowed to ride here in our subdivision and I never go over 25 MPH. The biggest problem is the I feel that the 10 and 7 year old just don't understand and have a hard time sitting still they cant reach the foot pegs. I would suggest looking at an RT-Limited (I pick mine up on sat.) the passenger foot pegs are adjustable. Good Luck and just be smart about it, you know your kids and know what they can handle.
 
I have grandsons who are still young so I don't have those kinds of issues yet.

However, I do have a backrest AND an ISCI armrest on my RS-S. Those who have ridden as a passenger and who are not used to being on the spyder have felt much safer with those additions on the bike.
 
My daughters just turned 10 and she will not let me ride the Spyder RS without her and as far as she's concerned we only got it so she could be picked up from school on it:-)

Before she got on the bike I insisted she read the manual on riding pillion - that probably seems strange but it does cover how to hold on properly around corners etc. Of course being a kid she did actually read it and took it seriously.

First few trips were short and low speed with gradual acceleration and gentle braking. At the end of each one we discussed how it went and what it was like.

Didn't have a backrest at first but when I realised she wasn't going to loose interest I got one for safety. She says its more comfortable asshe isn't leaning forward so much now as she knows how much she can lean back.

Don't have an intercom but will get one as I miss hearing her normal prattle and observations:-)

Did make sure we had all the safety gear before the first trip. It was quite hard getting gear that was small enough even though she's tall for her age. Got a very good xsmall womens jacket but have needed to turn up the sleeves which then caused problems with gauntlet style gloves. Getting a crash helmet that fitted was no problem, though she insisted on a black one with skulls and scantily dressed women that would have better suited a teenage boy.

We've now done up to 2 hour trips at highway speeds with her on the back with no issues and she absolutely loves it. I ride in a far more 'protective' manner when she's on the back than when solo. I do understand people here who say they would never take their child/grandchild on the back. Its not a decision to take lightly and if you do it then do it properly with planning, the right gear etc. I don't think I would take her at this age if I still had a motorbike but the Spyder is a lot safer.

If she was 6 it would be a different matter - possibly one or two trips up and down the street at very low speeds but that would have been it. At that age she didn't have the focus required to stay safe.
 
I know someone who has a Smart Car and his daughter won't let grandpa drive their 5 year old in that.
 
It will ulimately come down to the physical and mental maturity of the potential youthful co-pilots...
Scotty mentioned "situational awareness"... They have to be able to know what is going on around them, and why!
Backrests and armrests... :2thumbs:
 
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